Homún, a town inside the Ring of Cenotes
Homún is a town southeast of Mérida that lies within the Ring of Cenotes State Geohydrological Reserve, created by the Yucatán state government on October 19, 2013. The reserve covers more than 219,000 hectares across 13 municipalities, including Homún and Cuzamá, and its purpose is to protect the groundwater that supplies much of the state. Since 2009, the Ring of Cenotes has also been listed as a wetland of international importance (a Ramsar site).
Homún has a huge concentration of cenotes. A state survey cited in documents from CONANP, Mexico's protected areas commission, recorded dozens of open, semi-open and closed cenotes in this municipality alone. It's a historical count, but it shows why the whole town lives off cenote tourism.
The four Santa Bárbara cenotes
What makes Santa Bárbara special is that its four cenotes are all different:
- Cascabel: closed, cavern-style. You climb down inside and the water sits in half-darkness. It's usually the most striking of the four.
- Chaksikín: semi-open. You descend between limestone walls painted with Maya-themed murals.
- Xooch: semi-open, with a shaft of light that falls straight onto the water in the late morning.
- Pool Cocom: open and surrounded by vegetation; you swim along a channel to the wide part.
You get from one to the next by bike or cart across the property, which is half the fun.
Closed, semi-open or open: what's the difference?
All cenotes are sinkholes in the limestone that expose the groundwater. The difference is how much of the roof has collapsed:
- In a closed cenote the roof is mostly intact and light comes in through a small hole, or not at all.
- In a semi-open one, part of the roof has fallen in, leaving an opening for light.
- In an open cenote the roof is gone, leaving a pool or pond under the open sky.
At Santa Bárbara you see all three in a couple of hours. We have a more detailed guide to the types of cenotes if you want to dig deeper.
How the tour from Mérida works
The Mary Tours trip doesn't require an early start: it leaves mid-morning from the office in downtown Mérida and reaches Homún in about an hour. You visit the four cenotes with a certified guide, then have a regional lunch with handmade tortillas and head back to Mérida in the afternoon. Entry to all four cenotes and lunch are included; drinks are extra.
Tips for swimming in cenotes
- Biodegradable sunscreen, or better yet none: cenote water is the same water people drink in the region. Many cenotes ask you to shower before getting in.
- Water shoes: stairs and rocks can be slippery.
- A life jacket if you're not a confident swimmer: cenotes are deep even when they look calm.
- Don't touch the stalactites or cave formations.
- Bring a bag for wet clothes and a dry change.
Fun facts
- Homún sits inside a state reserve created to protect groundwater: the Ring of Cenotes.
- The Ring of Cenotes has been a Ramsar wetland of international importance since 2009.
- At Santa Bárbara you ride a bike from one cenote to the next.
Related tours
Cenotes · 7 h
The four cenotes of Santa Bárbara
Four different cenotes and a lunch made by hand
from $1,450 MXN per person
See itinerary
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily
- 10:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Homún, through the ring of cenotes.
- 11:00 AM Cascabel cenote — Closed, cave type. You descend inside and the water sits in half-light: the most striking of the four.
- 11:30 AM Chaksikín cenote — Semi-open. You go down between limestone walls painted with Maya-themed murals.
- 12:00 PM Xooch cenote — Semi-open, with a shaft of light that falls straight onto the water mid-morning.
- 12:30 PM Pool Cocom cenote — Open and surrounded by vegetation. You swim along a channel out to the wide part.
- 1:30 PM Regional lunch — Home cooking with hand-made tortillas. Plenty of time to eat without rushing.
- 4:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back, arriving around five.
Included: Transport, Certified guide, Entry to all four cenotes, Regional lunch
Not included: Drinks with lunch
Cenotes · 9 h
Izamal and the Santa Bárbara cenotes
Izamal early, and the whole afternoon in four cenotes
from $1,550 MXN per person
See itinerary
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM · daily
- 8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Izamal.
- 9:00 AM Izamal — The San Antonio de Padua convent, raised on a Maya platform, the Kinich Kakmó pyramid and the yellow streets.
- 10:30 AM On to Homún — An hour and a quarter through small towns to the cenote grounds.
- 12:00 PM Santa Bárbara cenotes — Five hours inside: Cascabel in a cavern, Chaksikín with its shaft of light, and Xooch and Pool Cocom in the open. You move between them by bike or cart, and lunch is served on site.
- 5:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back.
Included: Transport, General culture guide, Entrances, Lunch
Not included: Drinks
Cenotes · 7 h
Hacienda Mucuyché
A stone channel joining two cenotes
from $1,800 MXN per person
See itinerary
9:30 AM – 4:00 PM · daily
- 9:30 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to the estate, in the municipality of Abalá.
- 10:30 AM Check-in and historical tour — A guide from the estate itself explains how the henequen business worked and what survives of it.
- 11:00 AM Carlota and Azul Maya cenotes — Two hours in the water. To move between the cenotes you cross the channel, swimming or along the stone path.
- 1:00 PM Time for lunch — Yucatecan food at the estate restaurant, paid per order. There is a pool for anyone who wants to stay in the water.
- 3:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back.
Included: Transport, Guide, Entry to the hacienda and cenotes
Not included: Food, Drinks
Transfers · 8.5 h
Transfer to Izamal and Santa Bárbara
The yellow town and four cenotes, with no group schedule
from $2,650 MXN per vehicle
Frequently asked questions
Which cenotes are at Santa Bárbara, Homún?
Four: Cascabel (closed), Chaksikín and Xooch (semi-open) and Pool Cocom (open).
How far is Homún from Mérida?
About an hour's drive to the southeast.
Does the tour include cenote entry?
Yes. It includes transportation, a certified guide, entry to all four cenotes and a regional lunch. Drinks are extra.
Can you swim in the Homún cenotes?
Yes, you can swim in all four Santa Bárbara cenotes. If you're not a confident swimmer, wear a life jacket.
What is the Ring of Cenotes?
It's a semicircular band of cenotes in northern Yucatán. The state has protected it as a geohydrological reserve since 2013.
